


you showed up just in time

by bleep0bleep



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Werewolves, Derek Wears Glasses, Fluff, Glasses, Jock Derek, M/M, Minor Allison Argent/Lydia Martin, Minor Stiles Stilinski/Malia Tate, Nerd Scott, POV Scott McCall, Scott McCall As Primary, Secret Nerd Derek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-06
Updated: 2015-10-06
Packaged: 2018-04-25 02:13:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4942762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bleep0bleep/pseuds/bleep0bleep
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scott stares for a good moment, because he’s never seen Derek Hale— basketball captain! voted best hair in the student body! Homecoming King!  — wear glasses.</p>
<p>It’s <i>cute.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	you showed up just in time

**Author's Note:**

> This is for [laurel-castillo,](http://laurel-castillo.tumblr.com) who I promised secret nerd Derek and nerd Scott a long, long time ago, and I've finally had time to write it for you. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Special shoutout to [pocket](http://pocketlass.tumblr.com) for rambling with me about both Derek and Scott in glasses.

Scott stares in confusion at the sheet of paper posted on the wall, the one that says _Beacon Hills High School Academic Decathlon Finalists._ Stiles is whooping beside him, congratulating him for making the shortlist of students who are still being selected to represent their school in the statewide competition.

“What’s wrong, dude?” Stiles asks. “Look, there are nine spots on the team. There are twenty students on this shortlist, and Scott, you’re the best. They’ll totally pick you.”

Scott recognizes all the students named; thinks about their strengths and weaknesses and is calculating them as competition for the remaining spots on the team, except one name caused him to do a double take.

“Derek Hale?” Scott asks, looking again at the list as if checking again will make the other name on this particular list make more sense.

“No way,” Stiles says.

Scott spots Derek sauntering down the hallway with a few others of the BHHS basketball team, looking unfairly gorgeous as he spins a basketball in his hand.

“C’mon, he’s just a jock, what’s he doing trying out anyways, let alone making the final cut?” Stiles grumbles.

“No, he’s smart,” Scott mutters. He knows helped Mrs. Winslow with entering grades into her computer, and Derek is totally acing AP History. But Decathlon, like all the popular kids say, is like doing homework for fun. He’d never imagined Derek liking it. It’s impressive; in order to make it onto the final cut Derek would have had to do well in a performance event and the multiple choice tests, not to mention the application essay. He’s impressed in spite of himself.

The basketball guys walk past them, and Derek catches Scott’s eye and raises an eyebrow.

Scott tries to make a carefully neutral face but his confusion at Derek being one of the Decathlon finalists must show, because Derek looks away suddenly.

“They think they rule the school just because they took BHHS to State Champs,” Stiles grumbles.

“Eh,” Scott says, watching the sway of the gleaming basketball shorts on Derek’s high, round ass.

“Hello? Earth to Scott?” Stiles waves a hand in front of his face.

Scott blinks and shakes his head, heading to his locker and hastily trying the combination. Stiles follows him, even though his own locker is on the other end of the hall.

“Were you checking out Hale’s ass?” Stiles says, voice curious and teasing.

“What? No,” Scott says.

Stiles laughs. “It’s okay to admit that he’s hot, dude. I’m sure you two have had this weird thing ever since he caught you shooting hoops in the gym and you rejected his offer to play on the team, but it doesn’t mean you can’t notice he’s hot.”

“I’m not— _noticing_ , I just— I’m frustrated because Decathlon is really important to me, you know these extracurriculars are so—”

“Yes, yes, if you win it’s amazing for college apps,” Stiles rolls his eyes. “I know. You’re gonna get into every school you apply to, Scott. You’re captain of the lacrosse team, you’ve got a great GPA, you did these Decathlon competitions three years in a row, and you work with puppies, for God’s sake. You’re like an admission board’s wet dream.”

Scott grabs his books and shuts his locker.

“You worried you’re not gonna make it on the team?” Stiles somehow immediately picks up on the core of Scott’s worry. “Aw, bro, fret no more! To the library we go.”

They usually take their free period— right before lunch— to go visit Kira in the journalism classroom and hang out while she stresses out about deadlines, and study or do homework there with Lydia and Malia and the rest of their friends, but the atmosphere can get pretty rowdy, and since it’s right before lunch, often times not much work gets done.

Scott follows Stiles to the library, where they pick out a good table by the floor to ceiling windows, and he starts pulling out the sheafs of research materials and multiple highlighters. He’s studying all of the topics covered in the last five years of the competition, and gets to work. He takes out flashcards, starting on a color coded system.

Stiles is alternating between reading, tapping his fingers impatiently, and texting next to him, and he’s making that fond smiling face at his phone. The constant movement is incredibly distracting, and while Scott appreciates the company, he doesn’t want to spend 40 minutes doing a half-assed amount of work.

“Go on,” Scott says.

“What?”

“Malia wants your opinion on something she’s writing for Kira, probably? I know you don’t have any tests or something you can work on. I love you, bro, but you don’t have to sit in a library with me when you could be hanging out during your free period.”

Stiles stares at him, a glint of determination in his eye, like he’s about to give Scott the I-Will-Follow-You-Into-The-Dark speech again, which Scott appreciates. He really does.

Luckily Malia does show up with the idea that she wants to help Scott study too, but then she starts playing footsie with Stiles and Scott neatly suggests they go back to the journalism room. He watches fondly as they exit the library hand in hand, thinking about how long it’s been since he’s been in a relationship.

He and Allison broke up over a year ago, and while he still loves her, as a friend now, and it’s good and wonderful and he’s happy for her and her developing relationship with Lydia. He doesn’t miss her as his girlfriend, just the same way he doesn’t miss dating Danny, who he realized very early on was always going to be in love with someone else.

Scott does miss being part of a couple, though. He enjoyed dating; finding things that would make the other person happy, surprising them with their favorite coffee or texting them something cute to make them smile. He just really likes it.

Scott sighs, going back to studying. He works for a few more minutes, then looks up to stretch his neck.

In his new, distracting-best-friend-free line of vision, he can see someone at a table in the corner, surrounded by books.

It’s Derek.

He’s created a wall of books to hide himself, hunched down behind a stack, surreptitiously writing something, and pausing to push— oh dear— a pair of thick black rimmed glasses up his nose.

Scott stares for a good moment, because he’s never seen Derek Hale— basketball captain! voted best hair in the student body! Homecoming King!  — wear glasses.

It’s _cute._

Derek looks up suddenly and catches Scott’s eye, and Scott startles, hurriedly looking down at his own work.

A minute later, he looks up to rustling and sees Derek’s sitting down at his table, plopping down his backpack and books, raising his eyebrows at Scott.

“Hey,” Scott says.

“Hi.” Derek glances at the flashcards and paperwork Scott’s laid out on the table. “You studying for the tryout callbacks?”

“Yeah. Nice job getting to be one of the finalists,” Scott says, smiling. “I didn’t know you tried out.”

Derek flushes, an embarrassed tint in his cheeks. “Yeah, this year’s theme is history, and I’m really into it.”

There’s none of the sports-loving-only bravado, and Scott runs down all the facts he knows about Derek Hale and finds himself none of it matches up at all with the almost shy senior sitting in front of him, who is currently talking about a passion for history.

“What do you think?”

“What?” Derek had been talking, and Scott had been distracted by his jawline and what he thinks about this other side of Derek Hale.

“Studying together. Um. Unless you don’t want to.” Derek stands up suddenly, the movement making his glasses fall down on his nose, and he shoves them back up awkwardly. “I mean, just forget it. I shouldn’t have asked, it was a dumb idea. I mean, you probably don’t want to help the competition.”

“No, wait— it’s not. I was just surprised. We can totally study together.” Scott surprises even himself with his boldness and offers his precious flashcards, meticulously organized.

Derek sits back down, and he’s practically beaming. The smile transforms his face, and it’s a real, honest one, one that Scott’s never seen before, not when the basketball team won State Champs, not when Derek was crowned Homecoming King.

“Thanks. I’d like that.”

Scott looks around at the abandoned table in the corner, where the stack of books is still sitting on the desk. “Do you want to build another book wall or something so your friends don’t see you studying with the biggest nerd in school?”

Derek scrunches up his face. “Why do you say that like it’s a bad thing? You’re one of the smartest guys in our class.”

Scott feels his cheeks warm at the compliment. “But, like, your reputation. You!”

“I’m a nerd, too. All my friends know. They might not get it, but no one looks down on me for liking what I like, Scott. Or who I like.”

The statement goes over Scott’s head for a second until he realizes what Derek’s implying. “Wait, you… you like me. _Like_ like me?”

Derek looks up and meets Scott’s gaze. “I only tried out for the team to impress you. And thought if I got on I’d hang out with you more. I…”

“You didn’t have to do that, ” Scott says, grinning. “After school, do you want to go get a milkshake with me or something?”

“I’d love to,” Derek says, smiling.

They study in a warm, comfortable silence for a good moment, and then Derek’s foot brushes against Scott’s own, making Scott’s heart pound nervously. He toes against Derek’s calf in turn, and looks up to meet an embarrassed but pleased Derek looking back at him.

They look at each other for a long moment before both bursting into nervous laughter.

And this, this is what Scott’s been missing. He loves falling in love, and he’s looking forward to doing it again.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! You can find me on tumblr [here.](http://bleep0bleep.tumblr.com)


End file.
